Global Sherpa

Brazil and Mexico Combat Poverty and Inequality

Giving away money to the poor may not seem like the most original or effective way to alleviate poverty, but, by most accounts, it has worked spectacularly well for Brazil…

Global Sherpa Analysis, Insight, and Ideas

0April 15, 2012
Sage Advice on Sustainable Development

The current global development model is unsustainable, but it can be fixed. These are the findings of a distinguished group of laureates of the Asahi Glass Foundation’s Blue Planet Prize…
0April 11, 2012
1.5 Billion Energy Poor: Life Without Electricity

Today, 1.5 billion people live without electricity, a situation known as energy poverty. For them, life still moves to the patterns of the sun and the moon. Work and study…
0March 24, 2012
How Green are the World’s Cities?

Cities will shape the world’s environmental future according to the Green City Index, which evaluates the environmental performance of major cities around the globe. The Green City Index points to…
0March 5, 2012
China’s Path to 2030

China has come a long way in a short time span. Five hundred million Chinese have been lifted out of poverty in the past three decades thanks to average annual…
0February 11, 2012
Quiz: Human Development Report 2011

The quiz tests your knowledge of issues in sustainable development and equity from the UNDP’s 2011 Human Development Report (HDR). The quiz has 10 questions. Your score, correct answers…
0January 31, 2012
Sustainability and Equity: UNDP HDR 2011

The UNDP Human Development Report (HDR) for 2011 focuses on the intertwined issues of sustainability and equity. While most countries have achieved substantial development gains since 1970, the 2011 HDR…

GS Posts on World News and International Affairs

0December 30, 2011
New York City Quiz!

The New York City Quiz tests your knowledge of interesting facts about NYC. The quiz has 10 questions. Your score, correct answers and explanations appear at the end….
0November 13, 2011
The Maldives: Paradise in Trouble

The Island President, a skillfully crafted documentary by director Jon Shenk, tells the inspiring story of Mohamed Nasheed, President of the Maldives, and the life-or-death environmental struggle of his island…
0November 13, 2011
Maldives Quiz!

The Maldives Quiz tests your knowledge of interesting facts about the Maldives and global warming. The quiz has 10 questions. Your score, correct answers and explanations appear at the…
0November 8, 2011
Film and Philanthropy Take on Global Issues

Getting shot down by enemy fire in the company of a Guatemalan general can build trust and gain rare access to a remote military outpost. More than ever before, foundations…
0October 28, 2011
Global Power City Index 2011

The Global Power City Index provides a ranking of the urban competitiveness of 35 world cities based on their international “magnetism.” This desirable-yet-elusive trait is defined as a city’s “comprehensive…
0September 30, 2011
Entrepreneurs in India & China: Doing Well & Good

Entrepreneurs in the BRIC countries of India and China are driving global economic growth and community development. While having much in common, Indian and Chinese entrepreneurs also exhibit a number…
0August 31, 2011
BRIC Countries Discover Foreign Aid

Foreign aid from the four original BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) more than doubled from 2005 to 2008, according to the organization Global Humanitarian Assistance. During that period,…
0July 26, 2011
Countries Most Committed to Global Development

The Center for Global Development’s latest Commitment to Development Index (CDI) provides a thoughtful ranking of how committed 22 of the world’s most economically advanced, developed countries are to improving…